Datasets:

commul
/

universal_dependencies

Some Universal Dependencies treebanks have restrictive licenses that prohibit redistribution in derived formats (like Parquet files). The blocking system allows these treebanks to be excluded from Parquet generation while still remaining accessible through the dataset loader when loading directly from CoNLL-U files.

How It Works

Configuration File

The blocked_treebanks.yaml file contains a list of treebanks that should be excluded from Parquet generation:

treebank_name:
  reason: "Brief explanation of why this treebank is blocked"
  license: "License type (e.g., CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)"
  alternative: "How users can access the data"

Parquet Generation

When running 04_generate_parquet.py, the script:

Loads the blocked treebanks list from blocked_treebanks.yaml
Filters them out from the processing queue
Reports which treebanks were skipped and why

Dataset Loader Behavior

The dataset loader (universal_dependencies.py) handles blocked treebanks gracefully:

For non-blocked treebanks:

Loads from pre-generated Parquet files (fast, efficient)

For blocked treebanks:

Falls back to loading from original CoNLL-U files
Requires trust_remote_code=True parameter
Slightly slower but provides full access to the data
Respects the treebank's original license terms

Usage Examples

Loading a Non-Blocked Treebank

from datasets import load_dataset

# Fast loading from Parquet
ds = load_dataset("commul/universal_dependencies", "en_ewt", split="train")

Loading a Blocked Treebank

from datasets import load_dataset

# Falls back to CoNLL-U loading (requires trust_remote_code)
ds = load_dataset(
    "commul/universal_dependencies",
    "pt_cintil",  # Example blocked treebank
    split="train",
    trust_remote_code=True
)

Adding a Blocked Treebank

To block a treebank from Parquet distribution:

Check the license in the treebank's README.md

Add entry to blocked_treebanks.yaml:

pt_cintil:
  reason: "Restrictive license prohibits redistribution in derived formats"
  license: "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0"
  alternative: "Load directly from UD release using trust_remote_code=True"

Remove existing Parquet files (if any):
```
rm -rf ../parquet/pt_cintil/
```
Update documentation if needed
Commit the change with a clear message explaining the restriction

License Considerations

Permissive Licenses (Allow Parquet Distribution)

✅ CC BY 3.0 / 4.0
✅ CC BY-SA 3.0 / 4.0
✅ MIT
✅ Apache 2.0

Restrictive Licenses (Block Parquet Distribution)

❌ CC BY-NC (No Commercial use)
❌ CC BY-ND (No Derivatives)
❌ CC BY-NC-ND (No Commercial use, No Derivatives)
❌ Custom restrictive licenses

Note: Even with permissive licenses, always verify the specific terms in each treebank's README.md, as some may have additional restrictions.

Current Status

As of UD v2.17, 0 treebanks are currently blocked.

The blocklist infrastructure is in place and ready to use if needed in future releases.

Technical Details

File Locations

Blocklist: tools/blocked_treebanks.yaml
Generation script: tools/04_generate_parquet.py
Loader template: tools/templates/universal_dependencies.tmpl
Documentation: tools/BLOCKED_TREEBANKS.md (this file)

Validation

To test the blocking system:

# Add a test entry to blocked_treebanks.yaml
echo "test_treebank:
  reason: Test
  license: Test" >> tools/blocked_treebanks.yaml

# Run parquet generation
uv run tools/04_generate_parquet.py

# Should see: "Skipping 1 blocked treebank(s) due to license restrictions"

Blocked Treebanks

Overview